hacker

/hækə/

//hækə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hacker" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hacker” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,713. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,713
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who hacks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hacker · hacker · English

hacker · rank #11,713 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,713
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH groceries

Nearest frequency peer: groceries (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hacker”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hacker” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hacker vs hacks
67% similar
hacker vs hater
67% similar
hacker vs hiker
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hacker
PropertyValue
Headwordhacker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hækə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,713
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hacker” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).hackerlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “groceries” (#11,712), “hal” (#11,714), “greetings” (#11,711). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hacker (IPA /hækə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,713 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hacker, with forms such as "ahcker", "haccker", and "hacekr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hacks", "hater", "hiker", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent … The correct English form is hacker, spelled H-A-C-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who hacks.
  2. 2
    Someone who hacks.
  3. 3
    Someone who hacks.
  4. 4
    Someone who hacks.
  5. 5
    Someone who hacks.
  6. 6
    Someone who hacks.
  7. 7
    Someone who hacks.
  8. 8
    Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.
  9. 9
    Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hacker appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A hacker hacked into his computer account yesterday.
  2. I'm a computer crook, the Willie Sutton of hackers. I break into computer systems for fun—and profit. To me, the Apple is the forbidden fruit.

Etymology

From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent nouns). Hakken is derived from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; a handle; a hook; a peg”). The English word may be analysed as hack (“to chop or cut down in a rough manner”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

This word in other languages

hácker(Español)hacker(Français)Hacker(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahcker
  • haccker
  • hacekr
  • hackerr
  • hackker
  • hackre
  • hakcer
  • hcaker
  • hhacker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hacker - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahcker2haccker1hacekr2hackerr1hackker1hackre2hakcer2hcaker2
Edit distance from "hacker"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hacker"?
"hacker" is spelled H-A-C-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /hækə/.
What does "hacker" mean?
As a noun, "hacker" means: Someone who hacks.
What words are commonly confused with "hacker"?
"hacker" is commonly confused with "hacks", "hater", "hiker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hacker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hacker" is /hækə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hacker"?
From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix form... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hacker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

govern#11,709Hassan#11,717gladly#11,707fucker#11,700

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

harness9 variantsintern9 variantsJudith9 variantsmerits9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "hacker". Here's where to go from here.

  • "hacker" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "hacks". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #11,713 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list